A program called HAZUS-MH (Hazards U.S. - Multi-Hazard) developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can estimate losses from natural disasters such as earthquakes. A strong earthquake in Colorado would be comparable to Hurricane Katrina considering the lack of government preparedness and the myriad of unforeseen consequences brought on by such a large-scale event. Earthquakes can be major disasters, and they pose a very real threat to many areas of Colorado. The first step towards preparedness is to create awareness of what could happen - that is what this report seeks to accomplish.
The goal of this study is to relate coalbed methane occurrence and producibility to geologic and hydrologic settings, leading to models for exploration and production.